tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post6465899389480212508..comments2015-02-27T21:26:26.660-07:00Comments on Atheist Ethicist: The 2014 ElectionsAlonzo Fyfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-11211538583642632172012-11-03T09:08:47.314-06:002012-11-03T09:08:47.314-06:00mojo.rhythm
Your point about a hypothetical CEO o...<b>mojo.rhythm</b><br /><br />Your point about a hypothetical CEO of Exxon is true - and no different than the NAZI Guard defense.<br /><br />&quot;I did nothing wrong with being a NAZI guard because, if I had not done the job, they would have gotten somebody meaner than I.&quot;<br /><br />As for the &quot;status quo&quot; argument, I disagree.<br /><br />If there is a successful attack against the United States, then ANY evidence that Obama put &quot;the rights of terrorists&quot; above the lives of Americans would be political suicide. Our political climate these days is one in which it is not possible to &quot;go to far&quot; in the war on terror. But it will end one&#39;s political career to not go far enough.Alonzo Fyfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-44797956777614738222012-11-03T03:59:08.234-06:002012-11-03T03:59:08.234-06:00You argument might have some merit if all Obama di...You argument might have some merit if all Obama did was carry on the status quo. But, in many respects, he has shifted the moral zeitgeist into uncharted territory. There is a difference between carrying out just enough atrocities to keep the Lunatics happy, and taking the initiative to jack up those atrocities to unforeseen levels. That requires explaining; no more goddamn buck-passing.mojo.rhythmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14901306439675127615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-61005488926622826002012-11-03T03:18:38.010-06:002012-11-03T03:18:38.010-06:00If the CEO of Exxon Mobil suddenly decided to halt...If the CEO of Exxon Mobil suddenly decided to halt all drilling and pursue clean energy, he would face massive backlash from shareholders demanding his head on a plate. He would almost certainly get fired, and probably replaced with a zealous, drill-happy lunatic hell-bent on fast-tracking the systematic destruction of the planet&#39;s ecosystem. But I would respect that CEO who took a stand. In fact, I would see him as a hero and a martyr.mojo.rhythmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14901306439675127615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-86798206186914653282012-11-02T13:04:00.485-06:002012-11-02T13:04:00.485-06:00Alonzo: Then you note wrongly.Alonzo: Then you note wrongly.noahlucknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-77640016952849684882012-11-01T13:37:25.311-06:002012-11-01T13:37:25.311-06:00The accusation of cherry picking also does not wor...The accusation of cherry picking also does not work in the context of this argument.<br /><br />The argument only requires illustrative examples. A person who wishes to discuss black swans only needs to provide examples of a few black swans. He does not need to defend the proposition that all - or even most - swans are black.<br /><br />Accusing him of &quot;cherry picking&quot; because he pointed to two swans that happen to be black completely misinterprets the argument.Alonzo Fyfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-22275173268475475182012-11-01T13:29:09.674-06:002012-11-01T13:29:09.674-06:00v1car
It may be useful to note that the topic of ...<b>v1car</b><br /><br />It may be useful to note that the topic of this post was not &quot;Obama&#39;s Greatness&quot;. It was about how to bring about effective change - which requires changing the political climate.<br /><br />In addition, you do not bring up anything that I see as refuting my point. Pardoning Bradley Manning would be political suicide.<br /><br />The gay marriage issue actually illustrates my point. Obama took a politically expedient position. What got him to change his mind on the issue of gay marriage is that the homosexual community wisely made it support for gay marriage politically viable.<br /><br />Democratic and Republican political leaders are alike in this. They will both do what is politically viable. To change what they do, change what is politically viable.<br /><br /><b>Noahluck</b><br /><br />I note that your comment lacks any substantive content.Alonzo Fyfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-28138296207525691902012-11-01T12:48:12.769-06:002012-11-01T12:48:12.769-06:00Wow, way to ignore most of the things Obama has do...Wow, way to ignore <b>most</b> of the things Obama has done in order to cherry-pick a tiny handful that make him out to be well-meaning but ineffectual instead of incompetent and ethically unspeakable.<br /><br />Yes, yes, Obama is just a poor widdle ol&#39; pwesident who can&#39;t disobey Congress, so we should be forgiving when he doesn&#39;t close Gitmo. Oh, except that he has regularly disobeyed Congress in the matter of sending troops overseas -- no authorization for our operations in Syria, Libya, Pakistan, or any of the new operations we&#39;ve undertaken in Africa. Those are costing us $billions, but Obama doesn&#39;t care about that. He also doesn&#39;t, and this is an even more telling example, pardon Bradley Manning, even though (1) he unquestionably has the authority to do so, (2) Manning&#39;s treatment is costing us money, and (3) Obama explicitly said he wouldn&#39;t punish whistleblowers.<br /><br />Face it: Obama is an evil man who uses Congressional disapproval as a threadbare excuse for his actions, and who only rarely does the right thing, and then only in cynical public relations moves. (For example, the whole gay rights thing. Right up until the very day of his big announcement he was directing members of the executive branch to argue in court in favor of DADT and the various other forms of legal discrimination.)<br /><br />Yeah, okay, Romney is even worse. So what? Obama may be the lesser of two evils, but he&#39;s not lesser enough. We have reached a point where the Democratic Party is no longer worth supporting &quot;to keep the other guys out&quot;, because in every practical respect they <b>are</b> &quot;the other guys&quot;. If you support a Democrat <b>or</b> a Republican, you are supporting the same policies, it&#39;s just a question of whether there&#39;s a smiley face on the wrapper.v1carhttp://v1car.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-44299887650754795022012-11-01T12:36:38.392-06:002012-11-01T12:36:38.392-06:00...where &quot;rational&quot; means &quot;agrees w......where &quot;rational&quot; means &quot;agrees with me&quot; and &quot;rationality&quot; means &quot;tendency to agree with me&quot;.<br /><br />As opposed to, you know, trying to adopt true beliefs and efficiently pursue one&#39;s values. But that pesky meaning of rationality would completely undercut the argument.noahlucknoreply@blogger.com